One of our winning strategies is buying second hand appliances on eBay or elsewhere. When our new Black & Decker (Chinese) electric kettle rusted out in a year, we replaced it with a used GE chrome kettle from the 1940's. We love it, and it's built to last. Likewise our deep-fat fryer, toaster and waffle iron. They're all from the 1940's or 1950's, American made, very sturdy, and nice looking. We've given another electric kettle to my mother, and my sister-in-law has been coveting it ever since.
Our 12-year old son was especially amused when we retrieved his great-grandfather's dial phone from the attic and put it in the kitchen. We got fed up with new phones failing after just a couple of years, and put this 1940's model back into service. It doesn't help us press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish, but it's fine for actually holding a conversation with a human being. As a side benefit, all our son's friends can see what a dial phone looks like and learn to use the dial. This is one of those skills lost to the younger generation.
The other way we avoid Chinese goods is by repairing and re-using household goods as much as possible. I'd rather repair an American-made item of high quality than replace it with Chinese junk.
As a side benefit, all our son’s friends can see what a dial phone looks like and learn to use the dial. This is one of those skills lost to the younger generation.
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I liked the rest of your post, and likewise enjoy vintage products - anybody with a ‘53 tele they want to unload to another freeper, let me know :) - but the comment above has me chuckling. Hard to see how the younger generation would benefit from a rotary phone skill.